Boathouse (New West) – Deep Fried Oysters and Steamed Mussels

We went out to dinner recently at the Boathouse in New Westminster to celebrate a couple of birthdays. I find that when we go to the Boathouse in New West, it’s usually pretty empty – I’m not sure if it’s because of the particular day that we go. In either case, it’s fine by me because I prefer quieter restaurants.

I find that a problem with places like the Boathouse and the Keg is that the lighting is always an issue when you use cellphone cameras. It’s either too dark without a flash or it’s too bright if you use the flash. I started out with a virgin Kiwi Mojito.

I was really impressed with the Classic Fried Oysters ($11.99) appy dish. It came with 4 humongous oysters that were crusted with asiago crumbs. The BC Beach Oysters that they use for this dish makes the kusshi (used for the raw oysters on the half shell) look puny in comparison. The horseradish slaw that is served under the fried oysters isn’t too strong to overpower the flavours of the oysters.

The Sourdough Bread came out really fresh and had the distinctive tangy taste and crusty exterior.

The Boathouse’s Best of the Westcoast menu was serving up Saltspring Island Steamed Mussels ($25.99) in a coconut lime broth. A little bit more expensive than at other restaurants – the bowl was overflowing with about 2 dozen mussels of mixed sizes. It would have been more convenient if it was served in a pot as opposed to a bowl because it was initially difficult to get to the broth due to all of the mussel shells. I really liked the lightly grilled bread (think it might have had pieces of olives in it?) and used it to sop up the broth with.

The Sirloin and Crab Stuffed Prawns ($30.99) comes with a 7oz sirloin steak, mashed potatoes and veggies (we substituted more veggies for the mashed potatoes). The steak was pretty good and I liked the prawns… but crab stuffed anything would probably taste good.

Lastly, we ordered the Fresh BC Berry & Lemon Sabayon ($7.99) for dessert. The light custard is made with egg whites and sugar then mixed with various berries into a champagne flute.

This is a perfect dessert after a big meal since it’s both refreshing and not too heavy.

In summary, the prices at the Boathouse are a bit more expensive but the food is pretty good and the atmosphere would be well suited for a romantic date.